Weed Wednesdays growing in popularity this holiday season
Black Friday and Small Business Saturday will be preceded by a popular shopping day for a single item this year – Weed Wednesday.
This day will only be available in weed-friendly states like Colorado, Washington and Oregon, for the time being, and the rush for cannabis on the day before Thanksgiving makes sense for the budding weed industry.
Weed Wednesday is the pot equivalent of Cyber Monday for the high, with users spiking sales of legal weed before they indulge in the most gluttonous day of the year – one might think to work up a big appetite or make your drunk uncle a much more mellow high uncle.
Bloomberg reported that the US recreational cannabis market is now estimated to be worth close to $20 billion, and it's growing. California, Nevada, Massachusetts, and apparently Maine all voted in the recent election to legalize recreational marijuana use, joining Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and Washington, DC.
Legal marijuana is getting more and more accepted around the country as it remains illegal on the federal front. But states are showing that the public conversation is trending green.
Last year, Black Friday turned into Green Friday, with sales of legal weed spiking up 13 per cent from an average Friday, according to a review of Washington dispensary sales data in the Bloomberg story. Weed Wednesday could be the next on the docket.
Denver cannabis order-ahead service Baker saw its orders double on last year’s Green Friday, and the service expects a more significant spike as Colorado stakes itself as the nation’s weed destination.
"In states where adult use is fully legal, like Colorado and Oregon, cannabis promotions around Black Friday have been common, and we expect we’ll see more of that happening as prohibition eases across the country," said Adam Bierman, co-founder of marijuana management consulting firm MedMen.
"It looks like people stock up before the holiday on products that are easy to share amongst friends and family," said Scott Vickers, chief technology officer and co-founder of Seattle cannabis analytics firm Headset. "These products also allow inconspicuous consumption so could be used to relieve the monotony or tension of some family get-togethers where cannabis is frowned upon."
While pot might not be as accepted at family gatherings, there are products that won’t raise grandma and aunt Edna’s eyebrows, like edibles and concentrates, which are hot holiday gifts as part of cannabis gift packs.
"Sometimes, it's a little stressful to see family. In the same way some people might pick up a bottle of wine, some people are looking to pick up recreational cannabis," said Amanda Gonzalez, CEO at the Denver-based Kaya Cannabis dispensary.
As legal pot becomes more of a nationwide trend, those in the weed marketing industry hope that cannabis gifts and sales trends continue upwards.